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Cold winter 'doubles property damage claims'
11/03/10
Edited by Bob Witham. The heavy snow and plunging temperatures that caused chaos at the start of the year resulted in insurance companies paying out £194 million to home owners for claims regarding property damage, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has revealed.
Overall, the industry body said there were 66,600 claims of this type from domestic and business customers relating to incidents in December and January - double the number normally expected during this period.
The majority of these claims - 60,200 - were from residential property owners who had often suffered roof damage because of the heavy snow or burst pipes due to freezing temperatures.
Home insurance will usually pay for builders or plumbers to carry out repair work related to weather damage.
ABI director of general insurance and health Nick Startling said: "Insurers will always respond quickly to the large number of claims that often result from bad weather."
Figures from esure show the average cost of property damage caused by burst pipes is £60,000.
